More than three weeks have passed since the Chicago Cubs declined to extend then-manager Joe Maddon's contract, ensuring they would have a new skipper in place ahead of the 2020 season. Maddon has since landed on his feet with the Los Angeles Angels. Soon, it appears, the Cubs will make a call on who'll succeed him in Chicago.

According to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times, insiders believe the Cubs are down to a pair of candidates: former backup catcher and current special assistant David Ross and Houston Astros bench coach Joe Espada, who is a candidate elsewhere, too.

Ross, 42, has been the odds-on favorite to land the job since … well, even before a decision came down on Maddon. Ross retired after the 2016 World Series, but his popularity within the clubhouse has endured. He's spent the last two years working in television and behind the scenes in the organization. That familiarity is likely a plus. Ross caught in part of 15 big-league seasons and was widely considered one of -- if not the best -- backup catchers in the game during that run.

Espada, 44, has spent the past two seasons with the Astros after previously serving on Joe Girardi's staff with the New York Yankees. He's believed to be a legitimate candidate for other gigs, suggesting he's likely to land one no matter what happens with the Cubs. Espada never reached the majors as a player, but he spent five seasons in Triple-A with various organizations.

The Cubs have also interviewed Joe Girardi, Will Venable and Mark Loretta, and per Wittenmyer were expected to talk to ex-Philadelphia Phillies manager Gabe Kapler, who could fit in elsewhere within the organization if he fails to land a skipper gig. Kapler's interview is said to have been of the "courtesy" variety.